“I also remember Sauber struggling not to [fall] out of qualifying in Q1, and now they’re fighting out the front of the race,” he added.

Ferrari boss Stefano Domenicali admitted that he sees both sides of the story.

“It is important to take the complaints of drivers seriously to help [Pirelli] do a better job,” he is quoted by Speed Week. “But I also see Pirelli’s position, because if they are not given the chance to test, that’s not right.”